Emergency Communication Systems (IRIS)

Without advanced planning, an institution cannot adequately inform and protect its employees in the event of a crisis. Having an emergency communications system in place allows an institution to deal with unpredictable situations in a calm and reassuring manner. For this reason, the Office of Risk Management has contracted the services of TechRadium to utilize an emergency communication system called IRIS (Immediate Response Information System).

IRIS allows managers to act quickly in alerting employees to emergencies, public safety matters, and even routine happenings. Managers are able to record and send personalized voice messages in a matter of seconds through a single phone call or email, or by utilizing an Internet website. In addition, this system has the capability to track the recipients and their phone numbers and document the ones that have been reached. If the system receives a busy signal or an unanswered call, it will redial until a connection is made and the message goes through.

While designed to be utilized in immediate and extreme situations, such as a Virginia Tech-type event necessitating a lock down, IRIS can also be used to implement notifications with various degrees of urgency. Thus, it can be used to communicate information about school cancellations, power outages, or medical emergencies. It can also be tied into a school's daily absent list and used to notify parents of the distribution of report cards or parent-teacher meetings.

IRIS also allows subscribers to decide how they would like to receive notification in the event of an emergency, with the possibility of using any or all methods of notification, depending on the type of emergency. Messages can also be recorded in up to ten different languages to accommodate the needs of diverse student bodies.

If your school is interested in this valuable service, please the Office of Risk Management. This is an important opportunity for you to offer a greater level of protection to your employees and those you serve.